Burial vault



OCt. 28, 1930. CARME'R 1,779,928

' BURIAL VAULT Filed April 21, 192e 2 sheets-sheet 1 l NVENTOR oct. 28, 1930. L 1 CARMER 1,779,928

BURIAL VAULT Filed April 21, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Oct. k'28,.rk 193.0"v i UNITED STATES rar-ENT LAWRENCE I. oARMEn, or MATAWAMNEW JERSEY BURIAL vAL'r Application led 'April 21,

This invention relates to improvements in burial vaults, preferably of wire netting and cement or other plastic material and method f of automatically sealing same, and has for its '5 object the provision of vault `simple in construction, relatively light fin weight and at the same time durable in strength and which can be produced at a minimum cost.

A further object is to provide a burial vault f 10 air and water tight when closed and one which is substantially self-sealing.

A still further object 'is to provide a vault which can be closedand sealed without they necessity of one going down into the gravey of manipulating same, as will be hereinafter Y more fully described, shown in the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointedV out in the appended claims, it, ot' course,be 30 ing understood that minor changes as to details maybe made without departing from the spirit of the invention. The reference characters of this description `are applied to the corresponding parts in the'several views 35 in which* Y Figure 1 is a perspective view of vault hav- Y ing part of cover broken away. n Figure 2 is a sectionalview through grave showing vault in place, with parts Vbrokenv o away, showingv casket; 1

Figure 3 is a fragmentary view of grave:

showing parts of vault, and of Cover, 'resting on support. Figure 4 is a side elevation a5 kparts broken away. f i A Figure 5 is a transverse section of vault taken on line 5-5, Figure 4. I Figure 6 is a fragmentary view of reinforcing wire-netting basket. v 5e Figure 7 is ,a 'modified form of reinforceof vault with 1E2,8. V SerialNo. 271,767.

lment, in which the material consists ofl flat; bars rivetedtogether.

Referring to the drawing, in, details, 12V is` the vault, which, when in use is placedin a gra-ve 13 as shown at 14; 15 is the main body portion-ofvault,-having a cover portion 16. The main body consists ofa bottom or horizontal portionandr four vertical walls,an`d is substantially rectangular is shape. Y lNithin vthe edges or' side and endwalls is acontinuous groove 1'? Varound the vault, and in cross section'describes an arcof a circle. Y v

The cover memberV 16F has broad, flat side andy end edges and is substantially rectangular in plan, witharched top'as-at 18, and is provided on itsgrunder side, near and pan allel to its, outer edges,with dependingport1on,.ortong-ue, 19 which isengagedy by groove 1&7?, blpt whose radius of` itsA arc is less than that oil. e y. j

y At 20 isshown portions of the reinforcing net wire basket embedded within thecement, or othel` material used,g21is reinforcement in cover, 22 is metal handle barsin cover, which( e extend beneath-:thereinforcement and whichV are lfurther reinforced by transverse Isteel bands 23 extending between opposite handles. The handles are provided Vwith straps, cables, or other suitable means, as shown at 24 for the convenient handling ofthe cover from the surface of the; ground dispensing with. the necessity ofentering the grave to adjust,

or cement, the cover.`

- e The vault 12 having been-positioned .within the grave, dirt, sand, or other suitable ma# terial 25 is placed around, and between, the` Vvaultand wall ofgraveias at 26 and 27.t Ony Y one side at 27, the filling-in material Vis cappedf withblocks 28andboards 29 so as-to provide a substantialsupport `for cover .16v and to" x- 'lll equally distribute itsY weightl overentire surface o'fsupporting means. V30 iscementing,

' ing means'or, boards 29, at ank angle of approximately 90 degrees with the plana of the materialplaced ingroove and on upper edges s i .of side andend walls which seals vault air ino f surface to be covered, as shown at 32, Figures 2 and 3. The point 84 Figure 3 becomes a pivotal point, or axis, around which the cover moves whiile being rotatedr into its final position, which is accomplished by exerting an upward pull on straps 24 until the center of gravity ofr cover passes outside lof its footing, or bearing, then gradually decrease the tension in the strap 24 and the convex surface of tongue 19 and concave surface of groove 17 will mesh as cogs of a gear wheel and guide the cover accurately into y position. The Weight of cover is suicient t0 orce the green cement into the minutest crev-y ices and insure a perfect air and Water tight y joint, or bond.

Having thus described my invention what I claim anddesire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. Means for effecting a closure offburial vaults from a point outside the grave in which the vault is placed, comprising a cover formed to be held in closing position with respect to a vault by its own Weight and having a relatively broad,flat side edge upon which it restsr in substantially upright position when open, a support or the cover in its open osition arranged in the grave adjacent one side of the vault and substantially flush with the top edge thereof, said coverresting with its broad side edge on the support to tilt over toa closing position with respect to the vault, and means operable from Without the grave and detachably connected with the cover adjacent each of the side edges thereof to tilt said cover and sustain the same in its movement from an open position resting on the supportto a closingposition on the vault.

2."Mean`s for eecting a closure of burial vaults from a point outside the grave in which the vaultis placed', comprising a relatively massive cover having at least one relatively broad, flat side edge upon which the cover rests in a substantially upright p0- sition when open, a removable support for the cover in its open position arranged in the grave adjacent one side of the vault and parallel thereto and substantially flush with the top edge thereof, said cover resting with its broad side edge on they support to tilt over to a closing position with respect to the vault, and means including straps reaching to apoint Without the grave and detachably connected with the cover adjacent each of the side edges thereof to tilt said cover and sustain the same in its movement from an open position yresting on the support to a c osing position on the vault.

Signed at `Matawan, in the county of' Monmouth and State of New Jersey this 27th day of March, A. D. 1928.

j LAWRENCEV I. CARMER. 

